The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention(s). It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art, or material, to the presently described or claimed inventions, or that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a Port O Lock and more specifically it relates to a portable lock for public bathroom stalls for providing temporary closure and external visual notification of occupation for public bathroom stalls.
2. Description of the Related Art
Locks may be useful for protecting privacy. Locks are especially important for protecting the privacy of a person who may be using a public bathroom. It is not uncommon for public restrooms to be poorly maintained and to find restroom stall door locks to be inoperative. This renders the restroom stall difficult and uncomfortable to use because the door will not remain in a closed position.
Anyone who has travelled very much realizes that the maintenance of public restrooms is sporadic at best and it is not at all uncommon that the restroom door lock is inoperative which is not desirable. Since the restroom doors tend to have a biasing action which moves them into an open position, the stall becomes essentially unusable when the door will not stay closed. An effective solution is desirable.
Various attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems such as those found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,980,605 to Stefanie Fuhrman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,386 to Sharon A. Clemons, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,607,789 to Gilbert L. Baker. This art is representative of portable lock devices. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed.
Ideally, a Port O Lock should provide a portable lock for public bathroom stalls and, yet would operate reliably and be manufactured at a modest expense. Thus, a need exists for a reliable Port O Lock to avoid the above-mentioned problems.